Research in the Department

The Wright State University's Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) offers graduate students a chance to study a wide variety of technological fields. Our nationally acclaimed faculty allow graduate students to prepare for success in research fields of interest to academic, government, and industry institutions.

Ongoing research opportunities include research labs focusing on: Bioinformatics, Biomedical imaging, Cyber security, Cyber systems, Data-intensive analysis and cloud computing, Database, Data mining, Data semantics, Intelligent systems, Learning and natural language processing, Mobile information and wireless communication, Robotics and evolutionary computing, and Visualization. Two major centers of coordinated research effort in CSE include the Kno.e.sis Center and the Assistive-Technologies Center. In choosing the Department of Computer Science and Engineering for your MS or Ph.D. graduate degree students have opportunity to complete programs of study with a thorough and up-to-date understanding of their chosen research area.​

Please join us on February 4th for the Evening with Steve Wozniak, and then again on February 10th for the free luncheon with NYTimes columnist Farhad Manjoo. No registration is required for the Woz on Feb 4th, but please register for the free luncheon address on Feb 10th.

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Visiting the Department

Visitors to campus should park in Lot 2, as highlighted to the left.

As you walk in the Russ building from the side facing Colonel Glenn, enter on the upper level between Russ and Joshi, and turn right to find elevators and stairs. By stairs, enter the third floor and turn left. Directly ahead, you'll see the department's sign designating the office. The department office is to the left of this sign. Alternatively, by elevator, go to the third floor of Russ. Turn right out of the elevator and you'll see the department's sign immediately ahead.

Master of Science in Computer Science

Overview

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a program of graduate study leading to a Master of Science degree in Computer Science. The program strengths include the unique blend of faculty expertise, well-equipped computer science laboratory facilities, and a balance of theory, practice, hardware, and software. Degree requirements concentrate on the areas of software system design and analysis. Courses for the program are offered in the late afternoon and evening hours to serve the educational needs of practicing computer professionals.

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field from an ABET accredited institution of higher education with a minimum computer science and computer engineering GPA of 3.0 and a minimum combined GRE score of 298 (1050 under the old scale).

The GRE requirement is waived for WSU-ECS applicants with a BS degree and minimum GPA of 3.3. This requirement is also waived for applicants from a U.S. institution with a graduate degree in a science or engineering field. Finally the GRE requirement is waived for non-degree CSE graduate students if their GPA for 9 or more hours of CSE graduate courses is 3.3 or higher.

Students may be admitted conditionally if they have an undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 or above and at least a 3.0 grade point average in all courses listed below.

Students applying from overseas will need to provide a TOEFL score for admission to the program. Below are the TOEFL requirements.

All CS and CEG graduate courses, 6000 level and above, listed in the catalog may be used to satisfy the 30 credit hour requirement, with the exception of CEG 6350 Operating Systems Internal Design.

Students must complete all the requirements for a master's degree within six (6) years of the date the student matriculated. Courses older than six (6) years cannot be used toward degree requirements.

A graduate student who receives more than six (6) credit hours of grades C, D, F, X, or U in computer science or computer engineering graduate courses will be recommended to the Graduate School for dismissal at any time the student's CS/CEG graduate GPA (including the repeated courses) falls below 3.0.

A maximum of nine (9) graduate credit hours may be transferred after admission to the program by petitioning the department's Graduate Studies Committee.

It is the policy of Wright State University to uphold and support standards of personal honesty and integrity for all students consistent with the goals of a community of scholars and students seeking knowledge and truth. Students are required to:

Be honest at all times.

Act fairly toward others. For example, do not disrupt or seek an unfair advantage over others by cheating, by talking, or by looking at other individuals’ work during exams.

Take group as well as individual responsibility for honorable behavior. Collectively, as well as individually, make every effort to prevent and avoid academic misconduct, and report acts of misconduct that you witness.

Do not turn in the same work in more than one class unless permission is received in advance from the professor.

Produce original documents (such as thesis, class reports, and homework) that are subject to grading, and produce original manuscripts for publication in conferences and journals.

Unless permitted by the instructor, do not collaborate with others on graded coursework, including in-class and take-home tests, papers, or homework assignments.

Know what plagiarism is and take steps to avoid it. When using the words or ideas of another, even if paraphrased in your own words, cite the source(s).

Know that policy-ignorance is no defense. If you have any questions regarding academic misconduct, contact your instructor. Those who violate campus rules are subject to disciplinary action.

Treat faculty, staff, and other students respectfully and professionally.

Note that plagiarism is the unattributed use of the words, ideas, or intellectual property of others. The ease with which material can be electronically copied makes it critical to understand fair use vs. plagiarism. Some examples of plagiarism are:

Paying someone or some company to write a term paper for you.

Copying materials from books, journals, the web into your paper or thesis without quoting the copied text and providing proper references to the original sources of the materials.

Representing ideas that appeared elsewhere as those of your own.

For more examples and further information about what is generally considered plagiarism and how to avoid it, refer to the following sources.

Computing, information, and communications resources are provided for students to support their learning and research. Access to these information technology resources is a privilege and requires adherence to this Information Technology policy as well as to other University policies, including but not limited to: World Wide Web, Copyrighted Materials, WSU Student Handbook, WSU Student Organization Handbook, and Student Housing Data Network Acceptable Use Policy.

Users of the University’s information technology resources are also bound not only by those laws, policies, and regulations that are specific to computing, telecommunications, and networks, but also by all other international, federal, state, and local regulations and statutes that apply.

This policy applies to all use of the University’s computing, information, and communications resources, whether administered by Computing and Telecommunications (CaTS), by individual University colleges and departments, or by off-campus units that connect remotely to the University’s network and operate under the aegis of Wright State University. Privately-owned machines, while attached to the University network, are subject to the same policies as University-owned computer systems.

Students should:

Abide by the terms of copyright laws, software licensing agreements, and contracts that pertain to the University’s computing, information, and communications resources. Reproduction or distribution of copyrighted works, including, but not limited to, images, video, text, audio, or software, without permission of the owner may be an infringement of U.S.Copyright Law.

Avoid use of any of the University’s information technology resources for personal profit or gain or for commercial purposes.

Be considerate in the use of shared resources and do not perform acts that are wasteful of computing resources or that unfairly monopolize resources. Examples include but are not limited to junk mail, chain letters, games, creating unnecessary multiple jobs or processes, obtaining unnecessary output, creating unnecessary network traffic, or printing an excessive number of copies of any documents such as resumes, theses, and dissertations.

Avoid accessing, sending, or storing any messages and/or material that is found to be fraudulent, harassing, or in violation of any local, state, federal, or international law.

Avoid accessing another user’s electronic communications, or read, copy, change, or delete another user’s files or software without permission of the user.

Avoid using the campus network to gain unauthorized access to any computer account or computer system, to attempt to bypass data protection schemes, to uncover a security loophole, or to mask the identity of a computer account or machine.

Be aware that files and e-mail messages are not guaranteed to be private or secure. Files and messages may be viewed in the course of routine management of computing, telecommunications, and network services. In the event of a security breach, suspected breach, suspected illegal activity, or suspected violation of University policy, files and/or mail may be accessed by authorized personnel.

Avoid deliberately performing an act that will interfere with the normal operations of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks. This includes, but is not limited to, tampering with any component of a local area network (LAN), Intranet, or wide area network (WAN); blocking communication lines; or interfering with the operational readiness of a computer.

Avoid installing, running, or giving to another user a program that is intended to or is likely to damage a file or computer system and/or reproduce itself on University computer systems. This includes but is not limited to programs known as Trojan horses, viruses, root kits, or worms.

Avoid placing software and/or information that infringes upon the rights of another or that gives unauthorized access to another computer account or system on any University-owned computer system or computer connected to the University’s network.

Ph.D. Degree Requirement: A student entering the program with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree must complete a minimum of 90 credit hours, while a student entering the program with a master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field from a regionally accredited university must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours. The course credit hours earned must include:

Minimum 27 hours of formal coursework, not including the core courses of which minimum two-thirds are at 7000/8000 level, if admitted at B.S. level, and minimum 9 hours of formal coursework, not including the core courses, of which two-thirds are at 7000/8000 level, if admitted at M.S. level.

Minimum 18 hours of residency research.

Minimum 12 hours of dissertation research and successfully defending the dissertation.

Satisfying the Ph.D. qualifier requirement.

Publishing minimum 1 journal paper or 2 conference papers.

Having GPA in CS/CEG courses 3.0 or higher.

Completing all degree requirements in 10 years

Ph.D. Qualifier Requirement: To satisfy the Qualifier Requirement a student is required to complete the core courses and receive either 3 As or 2 As and a B. A student who receives grades lower than 2 As and a B will be given one more chance to take the final examination in the course(s) not receiving an A and improving the grades to either 3 As or 2 As and a B. A student who cannot satisfy the qualifier requirement within two years will be recommended to the School of Graduate Studies for dismissal from the Doctoral program.

Residency Research Requirement (Ph.D.): A student must enroll in 18 hours of Residency Research after completing the Ph.D. Qualifier Requirement. Enrollment in Residency Research prior to completion of the Qualifier Requirement will be permitted only by the petition to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Candidacy Examination Requirement (Ph.D.): The Candidacy Examination permits the student to present his/her proposed research to the dissertation committee and the public. The dissertation committee may be formed only after completing the Qualifier Requirement but prior to the Candidacy Examination. It is the responsibility of the student to find a faculty member who agrees to be the dissertation director and who will supervise the student’s research. The dissertation director, in consultation with the dissertation committee, will determine when the student has identified a program of research suitable for a Ph.D. dissertation and is prepared to take the Candidacy Examination. The examination will consist of a public presentation of the proposed research and a question-and-answer period. The dissertation committee may also have an interrogatory session with the student that is closed to the public. Unanimous consent of the dissertation committee is required to pass the Candidacy Examination. The research proposal must exhibit the student’s thorough background knowledge of the research area, indicate previous work in the area, and explicitly outline the proposed research to be undertaken in the dissertation.

Dissertation Defense Requirement (Ph.D.): In the Dissertation Defense, the student presents the results of his/her research to the dissertation committee and the public. The dissertation director, in consultation with the dissertation committee, will determine when the student has completed sufficient research to defend the dissertation. The dissertation director is the chair of the Dissertation Defense. The examination consists of a public presentation of the student’s research and a question-and-answer period. The dissertation committee may also have an interrogatory session with the student that is closed to the public. Unanimous consent of the dissertation committee is required to pass the Dissertation Defense.

Publication Requirement (Ph.D.): The student must have at least 1 journal paper or two refereed conference papers of which he/she is the first author accepted for publication from his/her dissertation research. The dissertation committee will specify peer reviewed journals appropriate for the satisfaction of this requirement.

Graduate Dismissal Policy: A graduate student whose GPA in computer science and computer engineering courses falls below 3.0 and accumulates 9 or more credit hours of C, D, E, X, and U grades anytime before graduation, or a graduate student (full-time or part time) who does not complete all requirements within 10 years, will be dismissed from the program.

Academic Honesty Policy: The faculty recognizes that society must trust the integrity of its graduates, since frequently society may be incapable of understanding and verifying an engineer’s work. Therefore, the college will 1) impose the most severe penalty possible within the university policy on academic dishonesty, and 2) permanently dismiss from the college any of its majors found guilty of two acts of academic dishonesty.

Withdrawal Policy: Students are expected to progress in a planned and logical manner through the degree requirements as outlined in the program guide for their major. Students who exhibit a pattern of repeated withdrawals from courses taught by the college are not considered to be following a logical progression toward a degree. Accordingly, students whose transcripts have three (3) or more W’s within the last three (3) terms for courses taught within the college must receive permissive signatures from both their advisor and the department chair before they may register for classes. A complete withdrawal from all classes for any one term will count as a single W.

Laboratory Access Policy: Individuals who use or are responsible for the teaching and research laboratories located in the Russ Engineering Center and in the Joshi Research Center must comply with the following rules, which are applicable to all students, faculty and staff. Laboratories are restricted for use by those individuals who are teaching, enrolled in a class that requires use of a laboratory, or who are conducting approved research under the direction of a College of Engineering and Computer Science faculty member. Individuals who enter a laboratory for any other reason may be asked to leave and are expected to comply with such a request. Individuals who fail to leave a lab upon request may be subject to legal and/or University disciplinary action. Children (defined as people under 18 years of age who are not an employee or student of the university) are not permitted in any laboratory without the expressed permission of a representative from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Exceptions are children of university employees who are under the specific and continuous supervision of the employee or children who are attending a supervised activity approved by the college.

Emergency Procedure: In the event of any emergency of any type during the day or after hours, the individual who discovers the emergency should immediately call the Campus Police at 2111 or 911 from a campus phone or at (937) 775-2111 from a cell phone. Also, refer to the College Emergency Contact List. Examples of emergencies might include personal security, such as a person with a gun; suspicious activity; bomb threats; explosion in a lab; release of hazardous material; a water leak; or a medical emergency.

Outside Employment for Students with a Graduate Assistantship Agreement: When a student with an assistantship intends to accept full-time employment in the terminal semester of their program of study, the student is required to notify their advisor and department chair of the employment as soon as possible. Graduate assistantship stipend payments will be stopped at commencement of employment.

Full-time Status: To have a full-time status, a student must be registered for 6 to 12 credit hours per term.

Transfer Credits for M.S. Students: : Master’s degree students may transfer up to 9 credit hours (3 courses) completed at another academic institution to their Wright State academic record and apply those credit hours toward the requirements of graduate degree programs. The courses requested for transfer must be approved by the departmental Graduate Studies Committee. A student requesting a transfer must be enrolled in the semester the request is made.

Transfer Credits for Ph.D. Students: Beginning Ph.D. students without a master’s degree may transfer the equivalent of up to 30 credit hours of approved coursework to their Wright State transcript. For beginning Ph.D. students with a relevant master’s degree, the degree will be noted on their transcript and the student must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours at Wright State. Students who transfer to a Wright State Ph.D. program and retain the same major professor may either transfer up to 60 credit hours of approved coursework or have a master’s degree noted and transfer up to 30 additional credits. These students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours at Wright State University. In all cases, the student’s supervisory committee may require any coursework deemed necessary for preparation for the dissertation research. Moreover:

The credit to be transferred should not have been applied toward an awarded degree. While credits that were applied toward a degree are not eligible for transfer credit, they may be used, with program approval, to waive certain course requirements.

The student must have been in a graduate status at the other institution when earning the credits. The other institution must be regionally accredited. In addition, the student must have been in good standing at that institution.

The credit to be transferred must meet the ten-year time limit for completing degree requirements. Transfer credit listed on the student’s program of study that is older than ten years at the time the student graduates will not be applied toward Ph.D. degree requirements.

A student requesting a transfer must be enrolled in the semester the request is made and an official transcript reflecting the credit must be on file in the School of Graduate Studies at the time of the request.

The CSE Graduate Committee and the School of Graduate Studies have approved the transfer of credit request.

Repeat Courses: Graduate students may repeat only two courses previously taken for which the grade received was below a “B”. Only the hours and grade points earned the second time the course is taken will be included in the computtion of the grade point average and the meeting of degree requirements. Whenever a course is being repeated under these terms, it must be so specified by the students at the time of registration. A departmental policy on repeat courses overwrites this policy.

Graduation Time Limit: Master’s degree students must complete all requirements for a degree within six years and Ph.D. students must complete all requirements within ten years. The time limit is defined as being from the beginning date of the earliest course taken at Wright State University within 30 credit hours for a master’s degree and within 90 credit hours for a doctoral degree applied toward the degree as determined by the program of study. The time limit excludes a leave of absence granted in advance for adequate cause by the academic program and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Inactive Students: Graduate students who fail to complete at least one course in three consecutive terms will automatically be retired from the active files of the School of Graduate Studies. The term “course” includes formal courses, independent study, thesis research, continuing registration, etc. Reapplication for admission will be required to reactivate the students’ records. (No additional fee will be charged.)

Second Master’s Degree: Students who have been awarded a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution may earn another master’s degree by taking a minimum of 22 semester hours of graduate credits. These hours must be taken at Wright State University, and no transfer credit can be applied toward the minimum requirement.
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering may reduce the 30-hour master’s degree requirement up to 8 credit hours for computer science, computer engineering, or relevant courses taken while earning the first master’s degree. A course is considered to be relevant if it would be accepted for credit in a computer science or computer engineering program of study. A student pursuing the second master’s degree is required to take the core courses and complete all of the degree requirements. In particular, a student selecting the thesis will be required to take 4 courses at the 7000/8000 level (including the core) and 6 for the non-thesis option. Admission policies and procedures for a second master’s degree are the same as those for the first degree, except that in those instances where the first degree was earned at Wright State, no additional application fee will be required.

Fresh Start Policy: This policy allows Wright State University graduate students a “fresh start” when changing or returning to graduate programs within the School of Graduate Studies. A “fresh start” is defined as beginning a graduate program and having the graduate academic record amended to reflect no hours attempted and no graduate grade point average for the new program. A new program, for “fresh start” purposes, is defined as a program that a student transfers into while in active status or returns to from inactive status. All courses and grades previously taken at Wright State University will remain on the student’s academic record. Coursework completed in a previous WSU or other institution’s graduate program will not be automatically transferred or applied to the requirements of the new program. The new graduate program may, however, recommend to the School of Graduate Studies which courses previously taken are acceptable for transfer into the new program. In no cases will the transfer credit exceed 9 semester hours.

Master’s Degree Requirement:

Have a completed Program of Study on file in the School of Graduate Studies.

Complete the program requirements for a master’s degree within 6 calendar years.

Achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in all courses taken for graduate credit. (No more than 6 hours with a grade of “C” may be applied to the degree requirements.)

Register for at least 1 credit hour during the semester in which a thesis is defended.

Present one copy of an approved thesis (if thesis option is taken) and approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of program required graduate credit. A minimum of 21 semester hours of graduate credit must have been completed at Wright State.

Composition of Thesis Committee for Master’s Students: A student’s thesis committee has minimum three members. The supervisor (chair of the committee) must be a full member of the graduate faculty, or an associate member. Associate members require prior approval by the Program Chair/Program Director and the Dean, School of Graduate Studies. Associate members may also co-direct a master’s thesis (with a full member) without prior approval. If a full member chairs the thesis committee, then two other members must hold at least associate status/adjunct associate status. If an associate member chairs the Committee, then at least one of the other members must be a full member.

Ph.D. Degree Requirement:

A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

The grade of “C” is a minimum passing grade for graduate credit; however, no more than 6 hours of courses with a grade of “C” may be applied toward the requirements of a degree program.

Typically, at the end of one year or 18 credit hours a student may be evaluated by the program (the program, however, has the right to review or evaluate a student’s academic performance at any time). On the basis of this evaluation, and after review by the School of Graduate Studies, the student will be recommended for continuation in the graduate program, placed on probationary status, or dismissed from the Program and the School of Graduate Studies.

Completion of 90 credit hours if admitted with a B.S. degree and 60 credit hours, if admitted with an M.S. degree.

Composition of Dissertation Committee for Ph.D. Students: A dissertation or supervisory committee will be formed for each Ph.D. student. The committee will consist of at least four full or adjunct full members of the graduate faculty. The director or chair of the committee must be a full member of the graduate faculty, a member of a Ph.D. program faculty, and dissertation-qualified. Adjunct full members of the graduate faculty who are members of a Ph.D. program faculty and are dissertation-qualified may be eligible to co-direct a dissertation along with a regular dissertation-qualified full member and will be selected and nominated in accordance with the Ph.D. program’s policies or guidelines. Students who transfer to a Wright State Ph.D. program and retain the same major professor should have at least one Wright State faculty member, in addition to the major advisor, added to their dissertation committees. Committee members who continue from the students’ previous institution are considered to possess adjunct full status. Members of the dissertation committee will be selected and nominated in accordance with each of the program’s policies or guidelines.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)
Teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis for students who have established strong academic credentials and can demonstrate good teaching skills and teaching potential. To ensure consideration, the application for an assistantship and all supporting documentation must be received in the department office by February 1, and the applicant must be in a CS/CEG graduate program or have an admission application on file in the School of Graduate Studies by February 1.

Time Limits
Ph.D students are generally limited to two years of departmental support, and M.S. students are limited to two semesters of departmental support. Departmental support includes graduate teaching and research assistantship supported by Wright State University.

Sponsored Research Assistantships
Graduate research assistantships are available for students to assist faculty in supporting externally funded grants and contracts. Such support is obtained directly from the faculty member with a grant or contract.

Continued Support
Continuation of support is based on academic progress, the satisfaction of the supervisor with the work performed, and the availability of funds. Academic progress is defined by maintaining a grade point average of 3.3 or above and completion of milestones in the program including identifying a research advisor and topic, fulfilling the Qualifier Requirement, and passing the Candidacy Examination.

A Ph.D. student who has had an assistantship must complete an M.S. thesis if the student transfers to the MS-CS or MS-CEG program.

Off-Campus Employment
Graduate assistants must obtain written permission from the chair of the department to hold off campus employment during the term of an assistantship.

Received a grade of P in 8930 and accumulated minimum 18 credit hours of 8940

CEG/CS 8920:

Independent Study

Available only to Ph.D. students

CEG/CS 8990:

Dissertation Defense

Received grades of P in 8930 and 8960, and 12 hours of 8950

CEG/CS 8940:

Residency Research

Received a grade of P in 8930

CEG/CS 8950:

Dissertation Research

Received a grade of P in 8960

For CS/CEG Graduate Students

Fill out the Departmental Consent Form (white sheet).

Turn form into the Department of Computer Science and Engineering 303 Russ.

Once approved a CRN will be assigned and sent to you by email in order for you to register online through Wings Express.

NOTE: If you turn your consent form in after online registration has ended you will be required to complete a green registration form, after your CRN is received, and have the form signed by your instructor and stamped by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. You must then present the green registration form, in person, at the Registrar’s office.

For Non-Degree Graduate Students and for Students registering for CEG/CS 6970 and CEG/CS 7920

Fill out the Department of Computer Science & Engineering Request for Registration*.

Turn into the Department of Computer Science & Engineering Department.

The processing of your registration form will take 24-48 hours, in which you will be able to register online using Wings Express. You will ONLY be contacted if there is a problem.

SAP Policy

To maintain satisfactory academic progress, undergraduate students with 12 or more attempted semester hours and graduate/doctoral students with 9 or more attempted semester hours must meet SAP requirements.

Boonshoft School of Medicine and School of Professional Psychology students are eligible for federal student aid provided they meet all academic stipulations defined by their professional program of study.

The Office of Financial Aid will evaluate your academic history annually, at the end of every Spring term, to ensure you are meeting SAP requirements; however, you may contact Raider Connect at any time to request your record be evaluated. If you fail SAP requirements, you will be notified via Wright State email that you may access your SAP status in WINGS Express.

Wright State University's SAP Policy is used to determine your federal student aid eligibility only. It does not reflect your academic standing for continued enrollment in your program of study.

SAP Requirements

You must meet the following SAP requirements to maintain your eligibility for federal student aid.

1. Cumulative GPA

Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Graduate/doctoral students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

2. Completion Rate (67% Rule)

Undergraduate and graduate/doctoral students must earn 67% of their cumulative attempted credit hours. The percentage is calculated by dividing your total number of earned credit hours by your total number of attempted credit hours.

Please note: Attempted credit hours are those credit hours for which you have received a grade of A, B, C, D, F, I, K, M, N, P, U, W, or X. Transfer credit hours and repeated coursework are included in your total attempted credit hours. The attempted hours for a course in which you receive an M grade will be added to your total your earned credit hours.

3. Maximum Timeframe (150% Rule)

You must complete your program of study within 150% of the timeframe required to earn your degree. The maximum timeframe is 150% of the typical number of hours needed to complete degree requirements.

Student Level and/or Degree Program

Maximum No of Total Attempted Credit

Undergraduate/Associate Degree

04 semester hours

Undergraduate/Bachelor's Degree

212 semester hours

Graduate Degree

76 semester hours

Doctoral Degree

150 semester hours

SAP Status

You can check your SAP status in WINGS Express at any time. For step-by-step instructions on how to view your academic progress for federal student aid in WINGS Express, visit the Student Zone on the WINGS Resource Center.

SAP Statuses

Financial Aid Unsatisfactory: You have not met SAP requirements and you are ineligible for federal student aid. You will remain ineligible for federal student aid unless you successfully appeal or re-establish your eligibility on your own. You are not eligible to receive federal student aid for any term in which you have been assigned an Unsatisfactory SAP status.

Financial Aid Probation: You have successfully appealed an Unsatisfactory SAP status and you are eligible for federal student aid for one term only. After the end of the term, you must meet academic progress plan requirements in order to qualify federal student aid for subsequent terms. You are not eligible to receive federal student aid for those terms for which you are assigned an Unsatisfactory SAP status.

SAP Appeal Policy

If you do not meet SAP requirements, you may appeal to the Office of Financial Aid for Financial Aid Probation.

SAP Appeal Criterion

The SAP appeal process will require you:

Complete and return the SAP Appeal Form to Raider Connect.

Submit a statement that explains the circumstance or reason you failed to meet SAP requirements.

Submit a statement that explains what has changed in your situation that will now enable you to meet SAP requirements.

Provide documentation that supports your written statement(s). A statement of support such as a letter from an academic advisor, must be signed by the person providing the support and must be printed on company letterhead.

If you had a mitigating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury, bereavement, etc.) that prevented you from meeting SAP requirements, you are encouraged to document the circumstance. Examples of acceptable documentation include: a statement of support from a physician, counselor, or clergy; court documents; obituaries; etc.

If you had a non-mitigating circumstances (e.g., return to school after extended leave, Fresh Start, change of major, etc.), you are required to document what has changed in your situation that will now enable you to meet SAP requirements. Examples of acceptable documentation include: a statement of support from an academic advisor, faculty member, or tutor; academic transcripts from a transfer college; etc.

In addition, if you failed to meet the Maximum Timeframe SAP requirement (150% Rule), you are required to meet with your academic advisor to complete the SAP Appeal Maximum Timeframe Form.

If you successfully appeal, you will be placed on Financial aid Probation for one term and must agree to an academic progress plan by the term's academic progress plan deadline in order to receive federal student aid for that one term. If you do not agree to an academic plan by the applicable deadline date, your Financial Aid Probation SAP status will be revoked and you will be reassigned to a Financial Aid Unsatisfactory SAP status.

SAP Appeal Deadlines

The Office of Financial Aid will accept SAP appeals by term based on the following schedule.

Term

Start Date for Appeals

Deadline to Submit Appeals

Fall 2012

July 21, 2012

September 11, 2012

Spring 2013

September 12, 2012

January 22, 2013

Financial Aid Probation

If you successfully appeal, you must agree to an academic progress plan by the appeal term's academic progress plan deadline.

Term

Academic Progress Plan Deadline

Fall 2012

September 21, 2012

Spring 2013

February 1, 2013

While on Financial Aid Probation, you will only be eligible to receive federal student aid during your one probationary term and you must agree to the following academic progress plan.

Undergraduate Students

Graduate/Professional Students

Earn at least a 2.0 term GPA

Earn 67% of their attempted hours for the term

Earn at least a 3.0 term GPA

Earn 67% of their attempted hours for the term

The Office of Financial Aid will determine if you have adhered to your academic progress plan once your grades have posted for your probationary term. If you adhered to your academic progress plan, you will have your federal student aid reinstated for subsequent terms. If you did not adhere to your academic progress plan, you will be assigned an Unsatisfactory SAP status and will be ineligible to receive federal student aid at Wright State University. Your cumulative academic history will be evaluated for SAP requirements at the next annual evaluation.

If you have been assigned a Financial Aid Unsatisfactory SAP status, be it your SAP appeal was denied or you chose not to appeal, you may re-establish your federal student aid eligibility on your own. If you are ineligible for federal student aid due to a Financial Aid Unsatisfactory SAP status, you may wish to consider applying for other types of financial aid, such as alternative loans.

Outlined below are the required steps to satisfy the Ph.D. graduation requirements:

Satisfy the prerequisites: If you were admitted to the program conditionally, you will first need to meet the condition stated in your acceptance letter. This is usually one or more core undergraduate courses that you lacked in your admission application. It is advised that you take the prerequisite courses early in your program of study so you can take other courses you need to satisfy the graduation requirements.

Complete a program of study: You are required to submit to the CSE Department a completed program of study by the end of the second semester in the program. A program of study lists all the courses you need to take, including the research hours, to graduate. The Ph.D. program of study form can be found at:http://cse.wright.edu/currentstudents/forms-and-documents

Satisfy the core requirement: You are required to take three core computer science or computer engineering courses by the end of your second year in your program and obtain a minimum GPA of 3.67 in the core courses. Completion of the core courses by the end of the third semester is advised so that in the event that your GPA falls below 3.67, you will have the chance to take the final exam in the course(s) in which you did not receive an A. In addition to the core courses, a student entering the program with an M.S. degree is required to take at least 3 courses at the 7000/8000 level in addition to the core courses and accumulate a minimum of 60 hours of research and coursework. A student entering the program with a B.S. degree is required to take 9 courses at the 7000/8000 level in addition to the core courses and accumulate a minimum of 90 hours of research and coursework. A Ph.D. student must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to remain in the program.

Put together a dissertation committee: After completing the core requirement, you should set up a dissertation committee. A dissertation committee consists of a minimum of three graduate faculty members from the CSE Department and one graduate faculty member from outside the department, who may also be from outside the university. To include a dissertation committee member from outside the university you must obtain approval of the Graduate School. Additionally, you must prepare and submit the paperwork required for the member to receive an Adjunct Graduate Faculty Status to the CSE Department at least one month prior to the candidacy exam. The Ph.D. dissertation committee approval form can be found at:http://cse.wright.edu/currentstudents/forms-and-documents

Complete residency research: Immediately after forming a dissertation committee, you should engage in a minimum of 18 hours of residency research. Additional residency research hours may be taken until a research proposal is ready to be presented to the dissertation committee.

Pass the candidacy exam: This involves defending your research proposal in front of your dissertation committee and receiving the committee’s approval to move ahead with the proposed research. The committee may require you to complete work in addition to your proposed work. It is required that you provide a copy of your research proposal to the committee at least one week before the candidacy exam and submit (possibly an updated version of) your research proposal, including the completed and signed signature page, to the CSE Department within one month after passing the candidacy exam.

Complete the proposed dissertation research: After passing the candidacy exam, you must start registering for dissertation research and continue until you have sufficient results to write your dissertation and defend it in front of your committee. A minimum of 12 hours of dissertation research is required.

Publish two conference papers or one journal paper: The results obtained during residency or dissertation research should be published in at least two refereed conference proceedings or one journal. An accepted journal paper will be treated as a published paper.

Defend the dissertation: Independent of the published papers, you are required to defend your research results in front of your dissertation committee in public.

Submit the dissertation approved by your committee to the department: The final requirement for graduation is the submission of your dissertation, with the signature page signed by all of your committee members, to the CSE Department within one month after your successful defense.

Apply for graduation: Finally, don’t forget to apply for graduation within the first couple of weeks of the semester you would like to graduate in. Although you may satisfy all graduation requirements, but until you apply for graduation, you will not be awarded a diploma. To apply for graduation, follow the instructions you find at: http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/academics/graduation

Welcome to the graduate school! If you recently received your B.S. degree, just remember that a higher level of performance is expected at the graduate school. The courses are more specialized and build on your undergraduate knowledge. If you are coming from a field other than computer science or computer engineering, it is important that you familiarize yourself with core computer science and computer engineering materials. If you do not have experience in software design and intensive programming, you should first take the programming courses (CS-1180 and CS-1181) to become familiar with programming techniques. Other core materials required before starting your graduate program are data structures and algorithm design (CS-5100), computer organization (CEG-5310), and operating systems (CEG-6350). It is important that you become familiar with the core materials covered in these courses before you start your graduate program as many graduate courses depend on these core materials.

If you are admitted to the program with a conditional status, you should make sure that you maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Anytime your GPA falls below 3.0 you will be dismissed from the program; therefore, it is advised that early in the program you focus on easier courses (i.e., courses that you have a good background for and are confident you will do well in). Once your GPA is sufficiently high, you can then take more difficult courses. If you are admitted with the regular status, whenever your GPA falls below 3.0, you will be put on probation. You will be given a chance to raise your GPA to 3.0 after registering for up to 9 additional credit hours. If after taking 9 additional credit hours your GPA does not reach 3.0, you will be dismissed from the program.

Following are the steps to follow to satisfy the M.S. graduation requirements:

1) Satisfy the prerequisites: If you were admitted to the program conditionally, you will first need to meet the condition stated in your acceptance letter. This is usually one or more core undergraduate courses that you lacked in your admission application. It is advised that you take the prerequisite courses before taking other courses.

2) Complete a program of study: You are required to submit to the CSE Department a completed program of study by the end of your first semester in the program. A program of study lists all the courses that you will need to take to graduate. The MS-CS. MS-CEG, and MS-CyS programs of study form can be found here. If you need help planning your program of study, contact the graduate program director.

3) Satisfy the core requirement: You are required to complete three core courses in your area of specialty (CS, CEG, CyS). Core courses are generally more rigorous than the other courses; therefore, it is advised not to take all core courses at once, but rather spread them over your program of study. Make sure you have all the prerequisites for a core course before taking it.

4) Choosing the thesis – non-thesis option: If you are in the cyber security program you are required to choose between a thesis and a project. If you are planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree, the thesis option is preferred as it better sharpens your research skills. If you are in computer science or computer engineering, choose the thesis option if you would like to enter the Ph.D. program after graduation or if you would like to study a topic of interest in depth. If you are receiving financial aid, you are required to choose the thesis option.

5) Apply for graduation: Finally, don’t forget to apply for graduation within the first couple of weeks of the semester you would like to graduate in. Although you may satisfy all graduation requirements, but until you apply for graduation, you will not be awarded a diploma. To apply for graduation, follow the instructions you find at: http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/academics/graduation